Nursing leaders have warned the NHS would fail to cope without staff from abroad.

Their comments came just days after health secretary Jeremy Hunt outlined measures to reduce the NHS’s reliance on foreign staff. About one in five nurses recruited in England in the last year were non-British EU nationals – up from one in 14 in 2011/12 – analysis shows.

The Royal College of Nursing’s director of policy and practice, Donna Kinnair, said:
“Nurses trained in other countries have contributed to the NHS since its inception. The health service would not cope without their contribution and, with the future supply of nurses looking uncertain, this situation will not change soon.”

Of the 33,000 nurses joining hospitals last year, more than 6,000 were foreign EU nationals. The BMA said they play “a vital role in the effective functioning of the NHS”.

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